Training Program Addresses First-Officer Changes

Every crisis creates opportunities, the saying goes, and with aspiring pilots facing a 1,500-hour minimum flight-time requirement for entry-level jobs in the regional airlines, due to take effect in August, FlightSafety Academy is offering a new program to address that need. FlightSafety said it plans to hire college graduates who have at least a commercial certificate plus multi-engine and instrument ratings, and will give them free training for their flight instructor certificate as well as CFI-instrument and CFI-multi. Hours flown in training and in giving instruction will help the pilots qualify for the ATP certificate, the company said. The pilots must make a two-year commitment to work at FlightSafety.

"The current and future need for qualified professional pilots continues to increase," said Nancy Ritter, manager for FlightSafety. "Our new Flight Instructor Candidate Opportunity initiative will help to meet this need by providing pilots with a unique opportunity to gain the experience and flight hours required to pursue a career as an airline pilot while earning advanced ratings at no cost and working as an instructor." The pending rule change has discouraged some students from seeking airline careers, according to a recent survey.